Wednesday, January 21

The phrase that summed up my reaction to Bush's grandiloquent announcement
last week: I felt trifled with. I wanted to say, this is stuff that
matters, you lying sack of shit. Okay, obviously that's not really a
cool-eyed and dispassionate take, and I realize that smart friends and
acquaintances of mine are right now combing through the fine print and making
plans to use this "initiative" as a platform for good. I wish them
well, but I don't feel very optimistic.

Meanwhile, in last night's State of
the Union address (as PNH
points out, an address conspicuously lacking any mention of space), we get

Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without
regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue
of such great consequence, the people's voice must be heard. If judges insist on
forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the
people would be the constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity
of marriage. (Applause.)